9/11... again...
To all those who died in the Twin Towers or one of the other planes that crashed 3 years ago, rest in peace.
I remember where I was distinctly on that day when I heard about the crash. I was living in Chambersburg working on getting my teaching certificate. I usually get ready in the morning with no media on, so I didn't hear anything until I got in the car to head to class. This was at about 9:30 AM... after the first hit but before the second (my timing might be off by a bit). I turned on the radio to the Bob and Tom radio show. For those that don't know it, it's normally a witty, joking kind of show. The mood was somber as they kept repeating what had happened and kept saying 'this is not a joke.' I got to the parking lot on campus just as they reported the second impact, confirming that it was a terrorist action. After the first, they had thought it might have been a terrible accident, as planes had hit the towers before.
I went into class (one of my education classes with Dr. Bair, I don't recall which one), and people were talking about what had happened. We then had a normal class. By the time class let out, everything else had happened - the Pentagon, the crash in PA, etc. It was at this point that I realized the scope of the attack. I had to work that afternoon for a half day at the junior high school. I don't even remember what I was teaching that day. I do remember having a hall duty and walking the halls to complete and utter silence except for the TV's in every room turned to a news channel tracking the progress. That kind of quiet - no talking, no noises other than a television - is very eerie to hear in a school building when it's in session. Eerier yet is the emotional wave of hundreds of youths trying to make sense out of a massacre that simply doesn't make sense even today. I believe I called acelightning that afternoon or evening to make sure she was ok, knowing that she lives within 40 miles of NYC and goes there on occasion.
And so, in the past three years, what have we learned from this? What have we done to correct it? Well, the first step was Afghanistan, which from the look of it had merit. Osama claimed responsibility, he's in Afghanistan, we go get him. That made sense to me. The second step was Iraq, which quite honestly still doesn't make sense to me. I have yet to see evidence that ties Iraq and Saddam to Al Qaeda and the Twin Towers attack. You'd think that if it were out there it would be all over the news. WMD? What WMD? On top of that, we've now got our military doing sickening things with prisoners and the executive branch of our government looking for a loophole to make it legal next time, and a President that looks at the whole thing as a holy war. It's enough to make me really angry... and those who have met me know I'm not very likable when I'm angry.
So, to those who died 3 years ago on this day in the aftermath of one of the greatest tragedies in America's history, rest in peace. I am sorry for the crimes perpetrated in the name of avenging your deaths, as I am sure you would be were you here.